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Worship/imitation

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W.S. View Drop Down
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    Posted: 27 December 2012 at 3:37pm

The Prophet (pbuh) was persecuted and suffered hardships and was persecuted but he persevered, and he accomplished a lot. Also, he had good traits like being honest and just and for this he deserves respect. Since he had these traits, we're supposed to try to have them, too, and that's fine. But I wonder if people take this imitating deal a bit too far. What difference does it make if I use my right or left hand when I eat and drink? No offence, but I find it absurd.

 
Even though a Muslim is not supposed to worship anything or anyone but the one God, one could think that the Prophet (pbuh) is worshipped like crazy, that he's regarded as a demigod, since you're supposed to love him and follow his sunna, which includes little details such as the mentioned one. You're even supposed to say the pbuh-thing every time you've mentioned his name, and yet he was just a man, right? But apparently he was perfect and never made any mistakes.
 
How does this agree with la ilaha illallah?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote honeto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 December 2012 at 6:11pm
Assalam Alykum W.S.
I am no scholar but a strong believer, and I think I can explain some of the things you struggle to make sense of.
Just like a higher achieving student of science for example who aims for a 100% in the finals and makes every effort to achieve it, a true believer does not miss an opportunity to gain any good he/she can even as tiny as the one you mentioned. Little by little, drop by drop it all adds up and one day we will see it, Inshah Allah.
Why eat with right hand? I am a man of reason myself and answer is real simple. You know as Muslims we wash ourselves after we do to the bathroom. We hold the water pot in our right hand and use our left hand to wash our private parts. Afterward, we thoroughly wash both our hands. Suppose you return to the dinner table, which hand would you feel naturally inclined to use to put food in your mouth? .....right. I wonder why most people around the world shake their right hand, any ideas?
By following the prophet's (pbuh) example you do not worship him just like by following a legendary sportsman and his techniques one doesn't worship that person. Worship is for God alone.
If we understand what we say it makes perfect sense, we ask Allah's blessing upon the prophet, what is wrong with that?
We love him because through him came the guidance to bring us salvation. With sincere words we send him Allah's blessings by saying "peace be upon him", I do not see any problem with that. It only shows our love and his humanity.
Perfect is only Allah. All of Allah's prophets were men and they were chosen as such because of their high character and example. None of us can achieve their level, but we can be near to them in Paradise if we can follow their example. For our times it is the example of prophet Mohammed (pbuh)we need to copy.
Hasan
The friends of God will certainly have nothing to fear, nor will they be grieved. Al Quran 10:62

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Iqra101 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 December 2012 at 12:17pm
As honeto has said we are mainly more right hand dominate in society from brushing our teeth to shaking our hands, it is what is and not to much emphasis goes into it. Plus when you are eating like steak or salad and you use a knife you mainly have the knife in your left and the fork in your right.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote W.S. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 December 2012 at 4:35am
Originally posted by honeto honeto wrote:

Assalam Alykum W.S.
I am no scholar but a strong believer, and I think I can explain some of the things you struggle to make sense of.
Just like a higher achieving student of science for example who aims for a 100% in the finals and makes every effort to achieve it, a true believer does not miss an opportunity to gain any good he/she can even as tiny as the one you mentioned. Little by little, drop by drop it all adds up and one day we will see it, Inshah Allah.

Wa alaykum salam! Thanks for your reply.
I've never been a high-achieving student and maybe I'm not a "true believer" either.
Originally posted by honeto honeto wrote:

Why eat with right hand? I am a man of reason myself and answer is real simple. You know as Muslims we wash ourselves after we do to the bathroom. We hold the water pot in our right hand and use our left hand to wash our private parts.
Because there is a hadith that tells us to? Since most people are right-handed, I guess most people also use their right hand to wash themselves. However, the important thing should be the result, not which hand you use.
Originally posted by honeto honeto wrote:

Afterward, we thoroughly wash both our hands.
Agreed.
Originally posted by honeto honeto wrote:

Suppose you return to the dinner table, which hand would you feel naturally inclined to use to put food in your mouth? .....right.
Somebody who's just been to the bathroom and washed him/herself with his/her left hand, would probably be more inclined to use their right hand in that case, yes. But you usually don't go to the bathroom in the middle of a meal. And like you said, you wash your hands.
Originally posted by honeto honeto wrote:

I wonder why most people around the world shake their right hand, any ideas?

Because most people are right-handed
Originally posted by honeto honeto wrote:

By following the prophet's (pbuh) example you do not worship him just like by following a legendary sportsman and his techniques one doesn't worship that person. Worship is for God alone.
If we understand what we say it makes perfect sense, we ask Allah's blessing upon the prophet, what is wrong with that?We love him because through him came the guidance to bring us salvation. With sincere words we send him Allah's blessings by saying "peace be upon him", I do not see any problem with that. It only shows our love and his humanity.

There's nothing wrong with it. For you, who've lived as a Muslim your whole life (I presume), and who are a strong believer, all of this comes natural. For me, it doesn't. Another example would be the Islamic greeting; I hung out with Muslim a few times a while back, and saying it/answering to it every time just felt forced and unnatural and I did it only out of respect for him. After the first two times or so, I got sick of it and it just felt like an act.
Originally posted by honeto honeto wrote:

Perfect is only Allah. All of Allah's prophets were men and they were chosen as such because of their high character and example. None of us can achieve their level, but we can be near to them in Paradise if we can follow their example. For our times it is the example of prophet Mohammed (pbuh)we need to copy.
Hasan
Striving to improve one's character is a good thing.
 
Originally posted by Iqra101 Iqra101 wrote:

As honeto has said we are mainly more right hand dominate in society from brushing our teeth to shaking our hands, it is what is and not to much emphasis goes into it. Plus when you are eating like steak or salad and you use a knife you mainly have the knife in your left and the fork in your right.
 
You hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand. That's how you're taught to eat as a child. Of course, there may be exceptions, but that's how most people do it (around here). Since it's the hand that holds the knife that does most of the work, it is natural that that hand should be your right hand if you're right-handed, which most people are.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nausheen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 January 2013 at 8:58pm

Allah has said in the Quran:
Say, if you love Allah then follow me (ie the prophet - pbuh), Allah will love you.

Its Allah's love we desire, because our soul is inherently inclined towards the creator and finds tranquility with Him. No matter how much one indulges in other things for inner peace, it cannot be sought. Thus for the sake of inner peace, one searches Allah, and those who find Him, know that doing what He has loved keeps them happy.

Why we send peace and blessings on the prophet (pbuh) - because Allah has said in the Quran,

"Allah and His angels send blessing on the messenger, O you who believe, send much blessings on him."

Also it is recorded that when we send blessings on him one time, Allah blesses us 10 times. It is these blessings of Allah we seek when we send blessings of His messenger pbuh.

So in a nutshell we want Allah to love us and bless us, thus we do as we do. To notice the spiritual aspects of these acts in ones lives an awareness of the inner self is required.



<font color=purple>Wanu nazzilu minal Qurani ma huwa

Shafaa un wa rahmatun lil mo'mineena

wa la yaziduzzalimeena illa khasara.
[/COLOR]
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